Our story

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Our Company

CMC Markets started out as a foreign exchange broker in 1989 when entrepreneur Peter Cruddas started the company with a £10,000 investment. Peter called his firm the ‘Currency Management Corporation’, and set up a small office with just a desk and a phone. In 1996 Peter launched the world's first online forex trading platform. Since then, CMC Markets has evolved into one of the world’s leading online CFD and financial spread betting providers, with over 26 million trades executed annually.

Our success

CMC Markets’ global success is founded on the ability to deliver a wide range of trading products to customers, from single equities to indices, currencies, commodities and treasuries. This means you don’t need to go to a forex broker, futures broker or commodities broker to trade these different instruments: you can trade them all through one CFD trading platform. CMC Markets has pioneered the development of online trading in markets around the world to become a world-leading spread betting and CFD provider. In Australia, we are also a leading online stockbroker.

Our presence

Since launching in 1989, CMC Markets has broadened its presence to cover Asia-Pacific, continental Europe and North America, making it a world-leading online CFD provider. Key acquisitions in the course of CMC Markets’ expansion have included the financial content and data provider Digital Look, and Australian stockbroker Andrew West & Co. Still privately held, CMC Markets welcomed its first institutional shareholder when Goldman Sachs purchased a 10% stake in the company.

Our timeline

1989

• CMC Markets starts out in the UK as a forex broker.

1996

• CMC Markets becomes the world’s first online retail forex trading company, allowing customers to take advantage of markets previously only accessible to professionals.

2000

• CMC Markets expands to become a CFD broker, underlining a commitment to offering the most competitive and innovative trading products available in the global market place.

2001

• CMC Markets launches an online spread betting service, also becoming the first spread betting company to launch the Daily Rolling Cash Bet.
• The innovative Daily Rolling Cash® becomes a benchmark in the industry.

2002

• CMC Markets goes international in 2002, when it opens the first non-UK office in Sydney, Australia, becoming an online CFD and Forex trading provider to the Australian market.

2005

• CMC Markets launches one-click dealing and becomes one of the first spread betting firms to launch mobile trading.
• CMC Markets opens the Beijing representative office.
• CMC Markets Asia Pacific opens the Hong Kong office.
• CMC Markets further expands its presence with the establishment of an office in Toronto, Canada.
• CMC Markets opens in Germany.
• In August 2005, the Group rebrands as CMC Markets, simultaneously replacing all existing brands (including ‘deal4free’) with one global brand. In addition, the Group opens branch offices in Melbourne and Brisbane.

2006

• CMC Markets wins Best Active Trading Service from Digital Look, Best Spread Betting Service from Shares Magazine and Best Spread Betting.
• Firm from Investors Chronicle for the third consecutive year.
• CMC Markets also wins Best Spread Betting and Best CFD provider from Trade2Win for the third year in a row, as well as Best FX

2007

• CMC Markets opens its Singapore office.
• CMC Markets acquires Digital Look, a leading provider of online investment market data and intelligence to the retail investor.
• CMC Markets opens its first Nordic office in Stockholm, Sweden.
• CMC Markets announces the launch of its Japanese subsidiary, CMC Markets Japan k.k.
• The 50 millionth client trade milestone is reached.
• Goldman Sachs purchases a 10% stake in CMC Markets.

2007

• CMC Markets (Australia) successfully completes negotiations to acquire leading non-advisory Australian stockbroker Andrew West & Co.
• CMC Markets continues its rapid global expansion plan with new office openings in Scotland and Ireland.

2009

• CMC Markets celebrates its 20th Anniversary (starting as a Forex broker branching out into a world-leading spread betting company and CFD company).

2010

• CMC Markets opens an office in Milan.
• CMC Markets launches new spread betting pricing, execution and technology.
• CMC Markets relaunches its brand.
• CMC Markets launches new spread betting trading platform in the UK.
• CMC Markets Singapore wins the award for "Best CFD Education" from the Investment Trends 2010 Singapore CFD Report, based on ratings by 8,900 investors.
• CMC Markets launches new spread betting iPhone app in the UK.

2011

• CMC Markets launches new CFD & Forex trading platform with groundbreaking customisable leverage, fractional ownership and portfolio mixer in Singapore, Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom.
• CMC Markets launches new CFD iPhone app.
• CMC Markets launches CFD iPad app.
• CMC Markets Singapore wins the award for "Best FX Education" from the Investment Trends 2011 Singapore CFD & FX Report, based on ratings by 12,400 investors.